1. Field of the Invention
The method and apparatus of the present invention is related generally to lithographic plate preparation and, more particularly, to the automatic processing of a blank plate to a finished lithographic plate ready for use.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the past, lithographic plates were typically prepared from blank plates by coating the plates with photosensitive material in one processing station and exposing them to ultraviolet light through a negative in a second station with the transfer of the plates between the stations manually effected. Following exposure, the plates were then developed to produce a usable image in yet a third station, again with manual transfer between the second and third stations.
The plate was then further processed mechanically, i.e., punched and bent in yet another station, to render them usable in a printing press. While this technique produced finished lithographic plates, the separated stations and the manual transfer of the plates between them often resulted in damage to the plates themselves, such as by scratching or by contamination with dust or the like, which reduced the quality of the finished product and the printed material made with them. Thus, there has been a need in the field of lithographic plate processing for a technique which would, not only increase the speed of production of the finished plates, but which would increase the quality of the finished product. The present invention satisfies that need.